Getting The Girl
by waterlooroad-jessica
Summary: As Rachel and Eddie come to the realisation that they both have very strong feelings for each other, how will things pan out. Rated M for REDDIE smut. LAST CHAPTER POSTED!
1. Realisation Night

**Title: Getting the girl**

Hope you like this; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

**Chapter One: Realisation NIght**

Waterloo Road: a school with problems. Rachel Mason: a head with deep, personal issues. Pupils: causing havoc. It may sound like your typical, normal school but it's not. The staff, or one person in particular, is what makes that school work; never one to let her feelings show, Rachel had buried her hidden desires to be with her deputy: Eddie Lawson, for many months, since she started at the school actually. She had tried not to make it obvious how much she truly cared for her secret love but somehow, here she was, lying in his bed, letting all her inhibitions fly out the window as he tantalised every inch of her body slowly. After their night of bowling, which Phil had inadvertently dodged out of, they were both in high spirits and after much flirting; they had finally shared a long, passionate kiss. Somehow, they had managed to get themselves from the bowling alley to his house; she discarded his coat as did he before they kissed their way up the stairs. That's how she came to found herself lying on his bed as he kissed her passionately; his soft lips and tongue running along her as he pressed his body against hers to allow her to feel how much he wanted her.

"I've…waited…so…long…for…this…" he said, in between placing kisses along her jawbone until he reached her sensitive spot on the crook of her neck, causing her to arch her back and moan in ecstasy.

"Don't…talk…" she moaned as she felt his hand slowly working down her body and under the waistband of her trousers to the place she wanted his the most.

In no time at all, their clothes had been completely discarded, all except for her underwear and his boxers; he took the time to notice her full beauty and vulnerability as his hand ran gently over the edges of her scar, his eyes locked in a gaze with hers.

"Are you sure?" he asked; it wasn't that he didn't want to; cos god, he so did but he wanted to make sure she wasn't having second thoughts. It would make things very awkward at work otherwise; she cupped his head in her hands and placed a gentle kiss on his soft lips, confirming she was more than sure.

He slowly left a trail of kisses along her neck as his hands undone her bra and threw it to join the rest of their clothes across the room; she sighed happily as he slowly brought his lips to her nipples and bit down gently on them before moving further down her body. He stared as her as his fingers hooked the edge of her black lace garment, looking for any sign of hesitation but there wasn't any; with it lying on the floor with the rest of their clothes, he allowed his hands to wonder again and slip along the inside of her thighs, slowly rubbing them until she was withering in frustration.

"Eddie…please?" she exclaimed as she arched her back and her head leant hard into the pillow behind her. He brought his lips up to hers and kissed her with force as his fingers, one by one, found themselves inside her, slowly bringing her closer and closer to her climax until he pulled out.

"What are you trying to do to me Mr Lawson?" she moaned at the loss of his contact.

"I've waited so long for this; I'm not about to rush it…"

"You're gonna lose something if you carry on…and it wont be sleep, I can promise you that!"

"Is that a threat Miss Mason?"

"Do you really want to find out…?" she asked, her one eyebrow slightly rose.

"God, you are so sexy when you're sexually frustrated" he said as he carried on placing gentle kisses along her jawbone and down her body, making sure that nowhere was left untouched. Slowly he allowed her fingers to return to the one place she yearned for, causing a moan to escape from her plump red lips; she ran her hands along his back and pulled him in for a passionate kiss as she grabbed the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down, tossing them to join the rest of the clothes…now there was nothing to stop them. He withdraw his fingers and lined up against her entrance, staring at her the whole time before slowly entering; she moaned and groaned and arched her back before staring back into his eyes. They stayed in that position for a few minutes before Eddie started to move back and forth, slowly to start with until he was pushing faster and harder against her; her hands gripping onto the duvet as she wrapped her legs around his waist to let him go deeper, further, causing her such pleasure she had missed and secretly craved on those lonely nights in her big house.

"Oh god Eddie…" she moaned as she felt herself getting closer and closer until she threw her head back and let herself go; seeing her so happy and content, Eddie finally let his climax go too.

He lay on top of her for a while, allowing them both to get their breaths back before hepulling out of her and threw the blanket over them; she turned her head and faced him as he gently moved her hand along her face to moved her damp hair away from her yes.

"I love you Rachel Mason"

"I love you too Eddie Lawson…"

"What happens now? Do we go back to just flirting with each other and ignoring our feelings?"

"No, I want you; I have done since we first met. I saw the disappointment in your eyes when you found out I got the job but seeing the effort you went to to try and undermime me, it was something I wasn't used to…"

"What about Phil? Hadn't you better be getting back?"

"He'll not be back for hours yet; I'm gonna spend the half term with him…see if I can get him to open up; he hasn't exactly been himself lately"

"Not really suprising really"

Eddie wrapped his arms around her body as she snuggled against him, loving the feeling of his naked flesh on hers; Eddie smiled and kissed her hair as he came to a realisation: he had finally got Rachel Mason…in more than one way.

Hope you liked it, more to come soon hopefully


	2. The Morning After

**Title: Getting the girl**

Hope you like this; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

A/N: I apologise for the long wait. College has been manic along with placement too but I hope you like this chapter and any ideas on how you want the story to go just let me no.

**Chapter Two: The Morning After **

The sunlight flickered through the thin fabric of the curtains when Rachel Mason awoke the next morning; she blinked a few times and felt a heavy force against her body. When she looked slightly to the left, she noticed her deputy with her arms firmly wrapped around her; the pounding of her hangover brought her from her confusion then realisation hit: _'oh my god! I finally slept with my deputy. Oh flipping hell!'_ She looked back at him as his eyes opened and he gently brought his hand up to caress her cheek.

**"Morning"** he smiled.

**"Hi…"** she answered, hesitantly. "_Oh crap!_ I promised Phil I'd be back last night" she exclaimed, sitting up.

**"Rache…it's okay; he text and said he was crashing at Bolton's after the gig"**

**"Well I'd better get home before…oh god…I think I'm gonna be…"**

Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, she had thrown up all over the bedspread.

**"I am so sorry"** she said, covering her face to try and hide her embarrassment.

**"Hey, it's okay; it will wash; why don't you go and grab a shower and I'll make you a very large mug of coffee…?"**

**"You really don't mind?" **she asked, looking at him nervously.

**"No, I don't"** he replied, kissing her cheek.

**"Eddie, do you regret last night?" **she asked as she walked into the kitchen, fully dressed.

**"Not for one second; do you?"** he asked, handing her the mug.

**"No…I mean, I thought things would be weird between us but they're not; this…I've never let my feelings show like this before in a very long time…not since I was studying…"**

**"I'm not gonna pressure you in anything you are not ready for, I promised; we'll take this as slow as you want to"**

**"Thank you"** she whispered as she snuggled into his arms.

Two hours later, Rachel was finally back at home; expecting to have the house to himself for a few more hours, she was shocked to find Phil in the living room, watching tv.

**"Hi, I didn't expect you back so soon; how was your gig?"** she asked as she sat on the sofa.

**"The gig was fine…"**

**"I'm guessing you and Bolton spent the night playing video games?"**

**"I didn't spend the night at Bolton's; I…lied"**

**"Philip! I thought you were going to start been honest with me?"**

**"I didn't want to ruin your night with Eddie…"**

**"You still should've told me"**

**"How was bowling?"**

**"I thrashed him; you sure you're okay? If you wanna talk about anything, you can"**

**"No offence Rache but…you're the last person I'm likely to talk to"** he answered, getting up and going upstairs.

Rachel sighed, turned off the tv and rested her head on the back of the sofa.

Hope you liked it, more to come soon hopefully; I apologize for where I ended it but I'm still stuck on ideas on where to take it. But my main aim is to try and develop a way of figuring out why Phil wont talk to Rachel.


	3. reaching Out

**Title: Getting the girl**

Hope you like this and I apologise for it's length; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

A/N: For those who might be confused, I know their bowling night was during the second half of serious four but I didn't to rework the episodes so Mel was found out a lot earlier and they went bowling on the last night of term.

Also, I have going out of character a little towards the end which is a **serious M rating** so beware. I don't mean to offend anyone but I wanted something different to happen that the usual Reddie relationships.

**Chapter Three: Reaching Out **

The half term went by too slowly for Rachel's liking; after that night with Eddie on the last day of term, she hadn't really spoken to him and hadn't seen him once and she was missing him. Phil had hardly said one word to her since his cheeky remark about her been the last person he would talk to and she had no idea how to help him or get him to talk. On the first day back at school, she pulled into her usual parking space and sighed as Phil left the car without a word; she dragged herself out and got her bags out of the boot as Eddie pulled into the space next to her and got out.

"Morning" he said, with a smile.

She just smiled at him; sensing her sadness in her mood when she was usually so upbeat on the first day back, he followed her up to her office where he shut the door before wrapping his arms around her as she let out a shaky breath.

"Hey, what's wrong? You're not regretting what happened are you?"

"Of course I'm not; it's Phil…"

"What's he done now?" he asked, fully aware of the problems he was likely to cause after his mom abandoned him.

"He's completely shut down; he didn't stay at Bolton's that night then spouted off on one about me been the last person he would talk to"

"He'll be okay; he's just angry with Mel for leaving him"

"And now he's feeling like he's stuck with me!"

"He's lucky to have you; have a cup of coffee to calm down and I'll do assembly and try and catch him later, okay?"

"He doesn't know about us, not what happened" she said, looking up at him.

"That's okay, I wont tell him; it'll be okay, I promise"

"I missed you over the break…."

"So did I; I just wanted to come over and hold you"

"I…can't believe how quickly I've fallen for you; it's not what I do, it's not who I am"

"Wanna know how long since I've fallen for you?"

"Go on" she said, kinda scared of his answer.

"That first day when you came swanning in here with all your big ideas for the school; I didn't think any of them would seriously work but you made it happen…"

"I'm glad to know you trust my instincts" she smirked.

"You were certainly a woman on a mission"

"Are you trying to make me smile you don't have to do assembly?"

"Is it working?" he smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Thank you"

"Are you ready to get this over with?"

"As I'll ever be"

He gave her one final kiss before they headed down to the hall; with assembly over with, Rachel headed up to the office to do some paperwork little done with her minding keep wondering over to Eddie. Knowing he had a free next lesson, she resolved she would go and see him; however, a knock on the door put a damper on her good mood.

"Come in" she called, looking up from her paperwork.

The door opened and in walked Eddie, with Phil trailing behind him; his hands in his pockets and his head looking down at the floor.

"Phil, please don't tell me you've been in trouble already!"

"He thought it would funny to broadcast about our 'date' the other night and make fun of it" Eddie explained.

Rachel sighed and stood up as Eddie leant against her desk.

"This has to stop Phil; I know you are hurting and you feel like you are stuck with me…"

"You don't have a clue…"

"So talk to us; mate, your aunt is just trying to help and you keep getting into trouble is not making things any easier" Eddie encouraged.

"What's it to you? You're just someone who was shacked up with my mom!"

"Okay, that's enough! Phil, sit down; Eddie, I'll find you later" Rachel snapped.

Eddie left as Phil sat on the sofa and Rachel sat next to him, her hands locked together.

"You're right, I don't have a clue; but you aren't exactly helping me here Phil. I don't know how else I can help you"

"Don't bother then!"

"I want to help you and so does Eddie but we can't if you don't talk to us?"

Phil sat there, looking at the floor, making no effort to try and communicate to his aunt.

"Okay, I know I should've talked to you about what happened between me and Eddie last week but you didn't give me a chance and it is not something we want broadcasting round the common room, okay?"

"Whatever!"

"Okay, go back to your lesson and I don't want to hear any reports of your misbehaving for the rest of the day, okay?"

Phil stood up and headed to the door.

"I mean it Phil"

"Fine" he grumbled before leaving the office as Rachel rested her head in her hands and sighed.

That lunchtime she went down to the canteen to grab herself some lunch whilst she was doing paperwork and found a commotion and in the middle of it all was Phil and Michaela White.

"Stop! Michaela and Phil….my office, NOW!"

The whole canteen fell silent as they looked at the angry headmistress; she followed her two sixth formers up to her office with Eddie hot on her heels. Shutting the door behind them, he stood against the filing cabinet at the side of her desk as she sat in her chair and looked up at Michaela and Phil.

"What the hell was going on down there?"

"He started it" Michaela smirked.

"Like we're going to believe that Michaela" Eddie replied.

"But he did!"

"Phil?" Rachel asked.

Phil shrugged his shoulders.

"Phil, we're waiting; did you or did you not start it?"

"Maybe"

"Okay" she sighed "Michaela, you weren't completely to blame but you did escalate things so to the cooler please"

As Michaela reluctantly left, Rachel and Eddie turned to Phil.

"What happened? Did she say something?" Rachel asked.

"She mentioned you and mom and Eddie"

"Okay, what did she say?"

Phil looked at the floor again.

"Phil, mate, we can't help you if you don't tell us" Eddie added.

"She called you a whore" he said, looking up at Rachel.

"She said what?" Eddie asked, his temper flaring.

"Eddie, it's okay" she said softly.

"No, it's not; she has no right"

"I'm sorry Rache, I didn't mean for this to happen…"

"I know; why don't you stay here while I go and sort it out and then we'll talk, eh?"

Phil nodded and sat on the sofa as Rachel and Eddie left the office; they headed to the cooler where Michaela was sat chewing on her gum, her arms crossed against her chest.

"Right, let's start again shall we? Who started it?" Rachel asked, sternly.

"Phil"

"See, that's the thing; we don't believe you. In fact, you started it with a comment you made about Miss Mason" Eddie said, putting his hands on the table and leaning in.

"What comment would that be?"

"You know full well what we're talking about"

"Well…it's not exactly a lie, is it?"

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, setting next to Eddie.

"Given your past, I mean"

"I suggest you stop right there; stay here and do not move" Eddie told her before he and Rachel left the cooler and headed back towards the office.

"She's wrong you know? You're not that person anymore"

"But I'm always going to be define by my past, aren't I?" she commented before heading back to the office.

She shut the door and the hatch on the window before sitting next to Phil as he looked up at her.

"Start talking"

"I'm sorry"

"Why did you do it Phil?"

"I thought that if I caused enough trouble, you'd get sick of me and have to phone my mom…"

"Oh Phil"

"Sorry Rache"

"No matter how hard you try and make things, I'm never going to get sick of you; your mom might not care but I do, okay?"

"But why?"

"You're my nephew, and you don't deserve half of what your mom has put you through"

"So why did she do it?"

"I don't know and we probably never will do but this can't carry on Phil; and I'm talking as your headteacher here as well"

"I know; I'll try…"

"Good; go on, go and finish your break"

Phil nodded before leaving the office; Rachel sat back in her chair and shut her eyes as she leant her head back to be met by two strong hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them.

"You need to relax; how about I cook tonight?" he asked.

"You don't need to"

"I want to; you'll only end up getting a takeaway otherwise and you both need a proper meal"

"Okay, that would be great then; thank you. That feels great"

"I wish I could give you more but we're at work"

"I'd settle for a kiss though"

He leant down and placed a gentle kiss to her lips before pulling away as there was a knock at the door.

That afternoon, they headed off in their separate cars before meeting back up at Rachel's; while Phil went up to his room, Rachel quickly got changed into her jeans and top before joining Eddie in the living room.

"What a day, eh?" he asked as she sat next to him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I know; at least we should be grateful it wasn't anywhere near as bad as last term"

"You have to promise me, no more putting yourself in danger Rache; I don't ever want to go through anything like that again"

"I was just doing my job but…I promise; I don't want to risk what we have"

"You sit here and relax while I make a start on dinner, eh?"

"Just…stay here for a bit"

She stared into his eyes as he slowly leant forwards and brushed his lips over her before the kiss intensified; he rested his hand on the back of her neck under her shorter hair as hers reached to touch his stomach under his shirt.

"Rache…we should stop"

"I don't want to" she replied, breathlessly.

"But we should; Phil's upstairs"

"We haven't seen each other in a week though" she said, looking up at him with a slight pout.

"Later, I'll find a way, I promise"

"Stay the night?"

"If you want me to, I will"

"I do"

"I'll get started on dinner"

Later that evening, Phil had retired to bed and Rachel and Eddie were in hers; she went into the en-suite bathroom and turned the shower on before stripping out of her clothes and stepping into the cubicle. Allowing the water to cascade over her, she started to wash away the crappiness of the day. She heard the cubicle door open and shut again before feeling to strong arms wrapped around her waist; she smiled and leaned back into his body.

"Need a hand there Miss Mason?" he whispered sexily in her ear as ran a hand gently down to cup her wet centre.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Do you trust me?" he asked, playing with her clit.

"With my life" she moaned.

"You're gonna have to be quiet though" he said, reaching for an item on the side and switching it on.

"Why?"

"Are you going to be quiet?" he asked, pinching her clit.

She moaned.

"It seems that you have been a very naughty girl today; and I haven't been able to stop thinking about you once…and naughty girls need to be punished"

"And how are you going to punish me Mr Lawson?" she smirked as she played along with his game.

"I'm gonna tease you until you can't take it anymore and then make you cum so hard, you'll not be able to move tomorrow" he whispered in her ear.

"Is that a threat?"

"Oh no, it's a promise, but first…do you consent to your punishment?"

"What if I don't?"

He snaked his hand inbetween her slit and thrust two fingers straight in causing her to moan.

"Do you consent?" he asked, pushing his fingers harder and further.

"Yes" she panted.

"Good, now put you hands on the wall and bend over"

She reluctantly did as he said as his fingers were withdrawn, causing her to let out a moan of emptiness.

"And remember, you have to be quiet"

And without any warning, he pushed the item, a vibrator into her centre on full, and caused her to moan louder; she struggled to fight back the sounds as Eddie pumped the vibrator in and out of her until she started to shake. Sensing she was about to come, he pulled it out of her and put it back on the side before turning her round to face him.

"That was just the warm up"

"For what?" she panted.

"This…"

He started at the pulse point in her neck and kissed all down her body until he was kneeling in front of; he tentatively brought out his tongue and licked to an orgasm before plunging himself into her. Twenty minutes later, they collapsed in the bed, panting as Rachel snuggled into him.

"So…are you going to behave from now on?" he teased.

"If that's my punishment, then no" she smirked as she slowly drifted off.


	4. Sick Day

**Title: Getting the girl**

Hope you like this and I apologise for it's length; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

**Chapter Four: Sick Day **

The next morning, Rachel awoke and saw Eddie watching her; she groaned as she attempted to move her legs.

"Morning Miss Mason; feel sore are we?"

"You smug bastard! You know I am and it's your fault!"

"I didn't mean to hurt you"

"You didn't…it's just been a long time since I've done it that rough, that's all"

"I'm sorry…"

She didn't say anything, just rested her head on his bare shoulder, running her hand along his chest.

"Can I get you some breakfast or something while you get ready?"

"I'm not going in"

"_You're_ throwing a sickie?"

"You wanna explain to the staff why I can't walk? I didn't think so, besides, I'm not feeling too great"

"I'm really sorry I hurt you"

"You didn't; I'm just gonna keep Phil off and spend the day with him. He needs to know that I'm not going anywhere"

"You're sure I didn't hurt you? I did come on a big strong"

"Eddie…I don't regret what we did, okay? It was the best I've had in a long time…"

"But? I've known you long enough to know when you are holding something back"

"Maybe…it was a bit…too strong"

"I'm sorry; I'll not come on so strong next time"

"I'm not saying I hated it but…I don't like not been in control; not with what I went through, what I did"

"I'm sorry" he said, holding her closer to him and kissing her forehead.

"You should get ready for work; honestly, I'm fine"

"What do you want me to tell the staff?"

"I've got a twenty four hour bug or a check-up or something"

"Okay; see you tonight?"

"I'll cook but no funny business"

"I promise; you relax today"

He kissed her forehead before getting dressed and leaving; when Eddie had left, Rachel got changed and went downstairs where Phil was sat up to the breakfast bar.

"Morning"

"Morning, Eddie said we've got the day off?"

"Yeah, didn't feel like going in and I didn't think you would either?"

"I'm not gonna argue; is everything okay between you two?"

"They're fine; just feeling a bit off today, that's all. You were okay with Eddie staying last night, weren't you?"

"Course"

"I'm gonna take my coffee and grab another couple of hours sleep; what about you?"

"Might do the same; you sure you're okay? You look a little pale"

"I'm fine, just a bug"

"Just haven't been sick since…since the fire"

"Honestly Phil, I'll be fine; I'll go and get some more sleep and hopefully I'll feel better"

"Okay"

As Phil went back to his cereal, Rachel went up to her bedroom where she lay in her bed; she checked her messages, there was one off Eddie:

'_Miss you already; get some rest. See you later xxx'_

She smiled and replied:

'_Miss you too xx'_

She put the phone back on the side and sighed as her stomach rolled; she took deep breaths before throwing the duvet back and running into the bathroom to empty the contents of her stomach. She groaned and leant her head back against the cool tiles of the wall behind her; she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed before her stomach rolled and she threw up again. She dragged herself back under her duvet and thought back _'Phil's right; I haven't been sick since the fire'_; she allowed the sleep to take over until she heard the ringing of her phone. She groaned and reluctantly answered it, noticing that it was now dinnertime.

"Hello" she answered, groggily.

"Hey, you really sound rough; are you okay?" Eddie asked.

"Just a bug; I…kinda threw up twice after you left"

"Why didn't you say anything? I would've stayed and looked after you"

"Because I need my deputy head running the school"

"But, as your boyfriend, you need me there"

"I'll live; god, I can't believe I've slept for four hours already"

"You must be ill to not even contemplate doing paperwork!"

"Hey, mister wise-crack, you wont be laughing if I pass it onto you!"

"If it means you feeling better then I'll happily be ill"

"I, just, wish you could be here and I know that sounds pathetic and sad but…I've never needed anybody before"

"It's not pathetic, or sad; listen, all I'm doing is your paperwork so why don't I cut out early and come and look after you?"

"You don't have to?"

"I don't mind; I've never needed anybody before either…"

"Thanks Eddie"

"Get some sleep and I'll see you soon; I'll even stop and get some of your favourite chicken soup"

"You don't…I'd like that"

"I'll see you soon"

"Yeah, Phil's downstairs so he'll let you in"

"Bye…"

She ended the call and put her phone back on the side as she sighed, trying to will the nausea to go away; she slowly drifted off again until she heard the faint noise of Eddie creeping into the room, taking his shirt and tie and shoes off before slipping in next to her and kissing her forehead.

"You're nice and warm" she mumbled against him, her eyes still closed.

"You feeling any better?" he asked, stroking her hair.

"Not really"

"I've never seen you like this before; never this ill"

"I hate you seeing me like this"

"You still look beautiful to me; I brought you some chicken soup. Are you ready to try and eat something?"

"No, my stomach is still rough"

"I'm sorry; is there anything I can do?"

"Just hold me close"

"That I can do"

He pulled her close as she allowed the sleep to take over again; he awoke a couple of hours later, kissed her forehead before slipping a t-shirt on and going downstairs where Phil was sat in the kitchen, doing some coursework.

"You alright mate?" he asked as he grabbed two cans of cola from the fridge and handed him one.

"Yeah; how's aunt Rache?"

"Sick; she's feeling pretty lousy. How are you holding up?"

"Guilty…I shouldn't have put aunt Rache through all that crap"

"You were hurting…but so was she; she knew that you ending up with her wasn't exactly something you wanted but she was trying to make the best out of a bad situation"

"I know…"

"Listen, she could really do with cheering up and as little stress as possible while she's not feeling well; think you could handle that?"

"I'll try; I'm gonna finish this and make sure I'm all ready for tomorrow. No more messing up or pratting about, I'm sorry"

"She'll be glad to hear that; what are you doing about you dinner?"

"Probably take out or summat; you want anything?"

"You're alright mate; I'm good. I'm gonna take your aunt some water and then see if I can get her to eat something"

"It took mom days to get her to eat after the fire so good luck with that!"

"I've noticed that she very rarely eats; when I first met her, she used to eat all the time, we'd have pizza after work while we were catching up on what happened during the day but since she came back…I guess I was too caught up in your mom to realise that we were drifting apart…"

"Mom was a fool to mess up her chance with you; but aunt Rache is lucky to have you"

"I'd better get her water to her; she's needs to stay hydrated"

"Okay"

He pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge before going back upstairs where he sat on the edge of the bed, running his hand along her face as she slowly stirred.

"Hey, I got you some water; you need to try and drink something at least"

She sat up and slowly drank half of the bottle before looking back at Eddie and taking his hand.

"You feeling any better?" he asked softly.

"A little; where's Phil?"

"In the kitchen, finishing his coursework; he's really sorry for yesterday and he's gonna try and behave a lot better"

"Good; but it's not his fault. He's hurting and angry at his mom and been stuck with me"

"He's doing okay; he's trying to understand and he knows that you are trying your best to help him. Are you okay to try and have something to eat?"

"Maybe…some toast?"

"Course, do you feel like going downstairs?"

"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute; you go ahead"

"It's okay; I'll hold you. Don't want you falling down the stairs now, do we?"

"Eddie, I don't like depending on people, you know that more than anyone so don't treat me like it, please?"

"I'm only concerned about you, that's all"

"I know; I'm sorry" she sighed.

"Let's get you some food inside you and then maybe later, you can try the soup"

"Okay" she whispered.

She leant against his warm body as he led her downstairs; after eating her toast and having a cup of coffee, she sat on the sofa with her head resting on Eddie's shoulder.

"Is that any better?"

"Yeah; thank you for covering today"

"No problem; there hasn't been much happening today. Do you want me to stay again tonight?"

"You're okay; I'll be fine tonight"

"Are you sure? I can always go and get some spare clothes and look after you again; no funny stuff, I promise"

"You sure you don't mind?"

"Yeah; I'll go in a bit. Why don't I go and run you a nice bath and then you can snuggle back into bed?"

"I'm okay; thanks though. You should get going; I'll be fine. Phil's here if I need anything"

"You sure?"

"Yeah; I'll be fine. I'm feeling much better already"

"I'll be as quick as I can; can I get you anything on my way back?"

"I'm okay"

"Okay; see you in a bit"

He placed a gentle kiss to her lips before leaving; when he got back, she was lying on the sofa, a blanket over her as she slept.

"She dozed off just after you left so I left her to it" Phil said, coming into the room.

"Thanks mate; I'll take her up and get her in bed. Hopefully she'll feel much better in the morning"

"Do you wanna watch Fast and the Furious after?"

"Set it up and I'll be right down"

"I've ordered Chinese; you want some?"

"Thanks mate"

He scooped Rachel into his arms and carried her upstairs; he placed her in the bed and covered her with the duvet. He kissed her forehead and left the room as he shut the door behind him; later that evening, he got changed before lying next to Rachel. Sensing he was lying next to her, she snuggled closer and rested her head on his shoulder as he kissed her hair and ran his fingers through it.

"It's only me; go back to sleep" he whispered as she drifted off again.


	5. Sick Day part 2

**Title: Getting the girl**

Hope you like this and I apologise for it's length; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

**Chapter Five: Sick Day (part two)**

The next morning, Rachel awoke and groaned as her head thumped and her body ached; she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower before getting dressed in her black trousers and t-shirt with her long cream cardigan and running a brush through her hair.

"Rache, are you okay?" Eddie asked through the bathroom door.

"I'll be fine"

"You really don't sound it; open the door so I can see for myself"

Reluctantly, she opened the door; Eddie's heart softened when he saw how rough she looked.

"You don't have to go in today; I can cover"

"I'll be fine" she groaned as she walked passed him and sat on the bed.

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet"

"Okay, I'm making you some toast; if you can eat it and keep it down, I'll not say anything"

"Promise?"

"I promise; and I'm getting you orange juice too"

"Okay" she chuckled slightly.

After forcing down a piece of toast and her juice, Rachel pulled on her coat and picked up her bag; reaching for her car keys, Eddie took her hand and stopped her.

"Not today, you don't; I'm driving you and Phil in"

"But I don't want the staff to know"

"Tough; just say you've got car trouble"

"Eddie, please?"

"Either I drive or you stay home"

"Fine…"

She reluctantly gave in and climbed into his 4X4 with Phil in the back; he kept glancing over at her, worrying about how quiet and pale she was. At the school, she got out, taking notice at the looks she was getting from emerging from her deputies car; she forced herself up to her office where she instantly sat in her chair and rested her head on her desk.

"I knew you should've stayed at home; you couldn't even make it up to the office Rache"

"Eddie, just go and sort out your lesson; I'll be fine"

"You sure? I can get Tom to cover and take you home?"

"Yes"

"Okay; I'll keep my phone on vibrate. Call or text me if you need me"

"I will"

"I'll see you in a bit then; take it easy"

He kissed her forehead before leaving; when he checked in at break, she was on her laptop but not doing much. Her eyes were squinting at the screen, her blinds were shut in an attempt to make the office darker but not succeeding.

"I'm taking you home"

"I'm fine"

"No, you're not; Rache, you're ill, you can't help that. You need to be in bed, not trying to make sense over an email that you've probably been looking at for over an hour"

"But…"

"No buts; if you won't go home, at least come and sit on the sofa…"

She stared at him before sighing and joining him on the purple sofa; he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she rested against him. She slowly drifted off as she leant into him further; he quietly asked Joyce, her secretary, to arrange cover for his lessons before turning back to Rachel. He pulled the blanket over her and kissed her hair as she slept peacefully; when she awoke, it was just gone 12 and she had only awoke because of the sound of the lunch bell going.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked, her eyes still laced with sleep but making no effort to move from Eddie's warm embrace.

"Yeah; I didn't want to disturb you. Do you feel any better?"

"Not really; I still ache and have a headache"

"Just let me take you home, please?"

"Only if you can stay?"

"Course I can; I've got cover for my lessons. We'll go after lunch so no one will see, okay?"

"Thanks"

"Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?"

"A drink?"

"Water or juice or coffee?"

"Juice"

"Okay; do you want anything to eat?"

"Er, yeah; I'll try some chips"

"Okay; I'll go and get summat for us. I'll be right back"

"Eddie, thank you…for forcing me to take a break"

"You needed it"

He kissed her forehead again before leaving; after the end of lunch bell went; he gathered up their stuff and took her home. She got changed into her pyjamas before lying in the bed with Eddie next to her; they had made a brief stop at his on the way back to pick up some more of his stuff.

"Go to sleep; you need it"

"Thank you for taking care of me"

"Anytime; you deserve to be treated with love and care"

"Even with my past?"

"What you did and what you had to go through, you should never have had to in the first place; and I will work hard every single day to make sure you never feel like you have to do that ever again"

"So you don't hate me?"

"I could never and have never hated you; you were a vulnerable young girl who was scared and couldn't see any other way out. But you turned your life around and look at you now"

"And my life is so great!"

"It is; you are successful and you've turned around one of the worst schools in the area into a place where kids actually want to come and learn. You have a nephew who looks up to you and is trying so hard to please you and an amazing boyfriend!"

"Think so highly of yourself do you?"

"Absolutely! But you love me for it"

"I do…" she answered with honesty.

"Get some sleep; we'll talk more when you're feeling better"

"Eddie…" she started to ask, her eyes closed as she rested her head against him.

"Yeah?"

"I love you"

"I love you too; Rachel Mason in love, eh?" he chuckled.

"Shut up" she groaned, whacking him as he slowly drifted off again.

When she awoke and looked at her alarm clock, it was just gone six; she looked over to the other side of the bed and noticed Eddie wasn't there. She pulled on her dressing gown before going downstairs where Eddie and Phil were sat in the kitchen, eating fish and chips.

"Hey, are you feeling any better?" Eddie asking, pulling her onto his lap.

"Yeah, much; you okay Phil?"

"Better than I have, I suppose; I'm sorry for been a pain in the ass"

"It's okay to be hurting; you're mom hurt you and that is gonna take time to get over"

"Can I get you a drink?"

"Thanks"

As Phil got up to get her a glass of juice, Rachel turned to Eddie and pinched a chip off his plate.

"You hungry?"

"A little"

"Go ahead; I can get something else"

"You sure? You obviously went to the effort cos you wanted it"

"You need to eat something"

"Thank you"

She sat on the stool as he got up and put something else in the oven; he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her as she ate with Phil. After dinner, they were sat in the living room on the sofa, Eddie's arms wrapped around her as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Did eating something help?"

"Yeah, it did; that and you making me come home and sleep"

"You needed to; there was no way you could've stayed any longer. You couldn't even reply to an email or look at me without your head thumping"

"I guess I was kinda stubborn"

"Yeah, you were but it's one of the things I love about you; Rache, you've gotta be able to take a back seat when you need to though"

"I know; I'm just not very good at it. After the fire, I didn't want to step back and give you the control but…I didn't have a choice; I knew that I was pushing you away and I drove you to Mel but…I was feeling insecure and unattractive about myself, like I did in the past" she admitted, looking at him, his fingers running through her hair.

"You were never unattractive to me; you were still beautiful and breath-taking to me"

"But…the whole thing about my past coming out had completely knocked me and then the fire happened and…it scared me Eddie; been in the hospital room alone and not been able to work, it gave me a lot of thinking time and I…when I realised how much I cared about you, I was scared"

"I was scared too; you were my best friend and you were seriously hurt. When I realised you were trapped inside the school, I thought I was gonna lose you for good; I didn't care about your past or any of that. I love you for who you are now"

"Thank you" she whispered, leaning in for a kiss.

"Rache, I'm gonna head out for an hour, that okay?" Phil asked, coming into the room.

"Where?"

"Just to Bolton's; I'll be back by curfew"

"Go on, be careful"

"Thanks Rache"

As Phil left, Eddie pulled Rachel closer to him as he kissed her forehead and switch the TV on to a film, Love Actually.

"You hate romantic comedies"

"But not as much I love you; you need something to cheer you up and this film seems to do that for you"

"You would suffer through the pain of watching this, just for me?" she asked, her heart softening at his sensitivity.

"Anytime; I'm not that guy who puts himself first and his girlfriend second"

"Thank you" she whispered.

As the credits rolled on the film, Eddie noticed Rachel had fallen asleep; he gently carried her upstairs and laid her in the bed, the duvet over them as he kissed her forehead and held her close.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Getting the girl**

Hope you like this and I apologise for it's length; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

**Chapter Six**

The rest of the week went by rather quickly or too slowly for Rachel and Eddie's case; they hadn't seen each other outside of school since he brought her home on Wednesday and stayed the night to look after her. He had done a good job been in charge but it still left Rachel with a mountain of paperwork to complete; she had slowly made enough progress to leave the last of it til Sunday so she could enjoy a night with Eddie. She left with Phil after last bell and headed home to have a shower and get changed into her jeans, boots, and long top and short jacket before the doorbell rang; she smiled and answered it to find Eddie standing in front of her, his five year old son, Michael, on his hip in tears and Eddie wasn't far behind him either.

"Eddie, what's happened?"

"I'm…gonna have to cancel…" he choked out.

"I don't care about our date, come on"

She let them in before they sat on the sofa with Michael on Rachel's lap.

"Talk to me?" she whispered.

"Er, I was just leaving work and I got a call from Alison's mom; she was in a car accident a couple of hours ago…"

"Oh Eddie"

"She's gone Rache; she's…and I'm…"

He broke down, unable to finish his sentence; she could feel the tears in her own eyes as she put her arm around him and pulled him close to her and Michael.

"It'll be okay; you can both stay here tonight. You shouldn't be alone…" she whispered.

"I…should…I should get some stuff…"

"I'll drive you; you can't drive like this"

"I just need to be alone; can you look after him?"

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Yeah; I need some space…"

"Anything you need, I'm here for you, okay?"

"Thanks; mate, I'm gonna go and get some of your toys. Can you stay with Rachel for a bit?"

"When's mommy coming?" the little boy asked.

"Eddie, go; I'll handle it"

He placed a kiss to his son's forehead before leaving; Rachel lifted Michael onto her hip as she carried him into the kitchen.

"I think I have some chocolate somewhere; would you like some? It always makes me feel better when I'm scared" 

Michael didn't answer, just stared up her; confusion in his eyes. He couldn't understand why daddy was so sad or why he was here with Rachel instead of been with mommy.

"Are you thirsty? I have some juice"

He buried his head into her shoulder as she rubbed his back; she looked up as Phil came thundering down the stairs and into the room.

"Rache…I thought you had a date with Eddie?"

"Phil…" Michael shouted, lunging from Rachel's arms into his.

"Hey mate; what's the matter?"

"Mommy gone" he sniffled.

"What? Like gone away for the weekend?"

"She hurt and now she in heaven"

"Oh mate…" he whispered as he held him close and looked up at Rachel. "Where's Eddie?"

"Gone to his to get some stuff; I said they can both stay here tonight…"

"Anything I can do?"

"Try and get him to eat something or have a drink? I don't know when the last time he had anything was"

"Michael, mate, do you want a cookie?"

"Want daddy"

"He'll be home soon; he's gone to get your toys. Do you want to watch some cartoons with me?" Rachel asked softly as she rubbed his back.

He held his arms out to her and snuggled against her as she kissed his forehead; it wasn't a lot but it was a start. She had no idea how she was going to help him but surely this would make a difference; she carried him into the living room where she sat him on her lap and switched on the TV. When Eddie arrived back a couple of hours later, his eyes were red raw and filled with emotion and sadness; he dropped the bag of stuff by the sofa before sitting down and allowing Rachel to wrap her arms around him as Michael snuggled against them.

"It's gonna be okay Eddie; I'm not going anywhere" she whispered.

"I should get Michael to bed"

"He can sleep with us; neither of you need to be alone tonight"

"What would I do without you?"

"Are you hungry? I can get you something?"

"No; I'm gonna take him up"

"Talk to me, please? I don't wanna see you hurting and bottling it up" she asked, following them upstairs.

"I can't right now…I appreciate you trying to be here and for letting us stay tonight but I cant…"

"Okay…" she whispered as he gently laid the little boy in her bed and she covered him up and kissed his forehead. "Sleep tight honey"

She looked up at Eddie and wrapped her arms around him as he buried his head in her shoulder.

"I'm sorry you're hurting"

"I'm sorry I had to cancel; I know you were looking forward to it"

"That's not important; you and he come first" she answered, looking at Michael sleeping in her bed.

"He doesn't understand that his mom's not coming back; he's scared and…so am I Rache"

"Tell me what you need and I'll be there for you; for you and Michael"

"I know"

"You should try and eat something?"

"I just wanna stay with Michael; I don't want him waking up alone and getting even more upset"

"Okay; I'm gonna get changed and I'll be downstairs if you need anything"

"Thanks; I will make it up to you"

"You don't need to; it wasn't your fault"

"I could've tried harder to be there for her; she died thinking I didn't care"

"She knows you did care; you've been there a lot more since last Christmas"

"Thanks to you"

"It's what friends are for"

"You're more than a friend, you always were; you looked amazing tonight"

"Our date can wait; it is not important. I'll be downstairs"

She kissed him briefly before grabbing a pair of pyjamas and her dressing gown and leaving the room; a while later, she came out of the bathroom and heard a soft crying sound. Popping her head around her door, she saw Michael sat up in bed, crying his heart out; she hated seeing any child upset, especially one who had already been through enough.

"Hey Michael, what's the matter?" she asked softly as she sat on the edge of the bed and pulled him onto her lap.

"I want mommy" he wept.

"I know"

"Are you daddy's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I am; if that's okay with you?"

"Is mommy in heaven?"

"Yeah she is; she's with all the angels watching you and making you're sure okay"

"She love me still?"

"Absolutely and so does daddy; he's not gonna leave you, okay?"

"You love me?"

"I do and Phil too; we don't want you to be sad anymore but it's okay to cry if you want to because daddy cries sometimes and so do I"

"Want my teddy"

"Okay, shall we go and look in your bag"

Michael nodded and allowed Rachel to put him on her hip as they quietly picked the bag up and left the room; they went downstairs and sat on the sofa as Rachel pulled his teddy and a book out the bag.

"How about a story?"

"Have a drink and snack?"

"Okay, you stay here and I'll get you something"

After getting him some milk and cookies, she settles him on her lap, a blanket over them as she read him a book; a while later, Eddie awoke and noticed he was alone in the bed. Panicking, he ran downstairs and found Michael fast asleep on Rachel, his head tucked under her chin as she held him close and slept; he smiled slightly as the sight before him, he was glad Michael had taken to her so quickly and to be comfortable around her enough to fall asleep on her.

"Quit watching me" she mumbled, bringing Eddie out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No; sorry if you were worried where he was"

"Is he okay?" he asked as he sat next to them and wrapped his arm around her so she could lean against his shoulder.

"I came and checked on you earlier and he was sat up, crying; he wanted to know if Alison still loved him…"

"He's hurting, the poor thing"

"I think he'll be just fine; he's strong…like his daddy"

"So strong I left him with you!"

"It's okay; we had a nice talk and then we had milk and cookies and read a story"

"Thank you"

"Anytime but maybe you should take him up to bed…?"

"Yeah, you coming up?"

"I'll be right behind you once I've cleared up"

"Leave it til the morning; I need to hold you"

She smiled and followed him upstairs, holding Michael; when they were all settled in bed, Rachel gently kissed Eddie, silently letting him know that everything would be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: Getting the girl**

Hope you like this and I apologise for it's length; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

**Chapter Seven**

The next morning, Rachel awoke and saw Michael stirring; she smiled and ran her hand over his face as he snuggled close to her.

"You okay sweetie?"

"Hungry" he replied.

"Shall we go and make some pancakes?"

"With…chocolate chips?"

"Of course; come on, let's leave daddy to sleep and we'll wake him up in a bit"

Michael held his arms out for her as she stood up and pulled on her robe before lifting him onto her hip; they went down to the kitchen where she sat him on the counter so he could help with the pancake mixture. With Rachel making sure it was cooking nicely, she sent Michael upstairs and chuckled as she heard both Phil and Eddie groaned as the little boy jumped on them; she smiled as she heard Michael laughing as Eddie got him own back before carrying him down to the kitchen where he set him up to the table with some juice as he stood behind Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You didn't have to make breakfast?"

"I wanted to; you both need to eat something and I was thinking…how does a picnic in the park sound?"

"You don't have to; I'm sure you have better things to be doing today"

"You and that little boy, especially him, need the distraction and I wanna spend time with you…"

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure; we'll have this and I can pop to the store and get some things for the picnic…"

"Why don't I go and you get Michael ready? He might open up more to you than me about his mom"

"Get some crisps and chocolate and cake and stuff; proper party kind of picnic food"

"I will, might even let Michael have a can of Pepsi as a treat"

"He's gonna be okay, you know?"

"I know; he's just so young and he doesn't deserve to have to go through this pain"

"Neither do you; Alison was a big part in your life, you can't forget that"

"You're amazing, do you know that?"

"I know" she smirked as she plated up the pancakes.

After breakfast, Eddie got changed and headed to the shop with Phil whilst Rachel took Michael up to her bedroom and sat him on her bed as she grabbed his bag and pulled out the clothes.

"What do you wanna wear buddy?"

"That…and that…and that…and my trainers" he answered, pointing to his jeans, Bob the Builder t-shirt and a blue zip up jacket.

"Good choice; do you need any help getting changed?"

"Nope" he answered, confidently as he started to pull his pyjamas off.

Taking the opportunity while he was occupied, Rachel quickly got changed into her jeans, white t-shirt and pink zip up jacket and trainers, the outfit she had wore on her and Eddie's bowling night when they finally kissed; going back into her room, she noticed Michael was dressed but having trouble with the button on his jeans.

"Having trouble there honey?"

"Can't do it" he whimpered.

"That's okay" she soothed as she did it for him.

He surprised her by wrapping his arms around her neck and sobbing softly.

"It's okay, buttons are difficult and sometimes, I think even daddy needs help"

"Really?" he sniffled as he slowly looked up at her.

"Really" she confirmed.

"Will you tell daddy I cried?"

"It's okay; I'm not gonna tell him but its okay if you can't do something. You just have to keep trying until you can" she said softly as she wiped away his tears.

"You no mad?"

"No, I'm not mad or angry; you are a little boy who needs help sometimes, that's all. And it's okay to need help, I promise"

"We watch cartoons now?"

"Yeah, we can; come on"

She took his hand as she lead him down to the living room; although she didn't really watch that much TV due to the amount of work she always had, she had opted to get Sky fitted when Phil had moved in and now she was glad. They were sat watching Bob the Builder when Eddie and Phil returned; Michael looked up at Rachel, worryingly as his dad came into the room.

"Buddy, what's wrong? Did you not have fun with Rachel?" he asked, crouching down in front of him.

Michael looked at Rachel and buried his head in her side.

"Rache?" he asked, worried.

"He's fine Eddie; he had a bit of trouble earlier with his button, that's all"

"Why were you scared to tell me buddy? Did you think I would be angry?"

Michael nodded.

"It's okay; buttons can be very tricky when you're 4 but you don't need to be upset about it. That's what me and Rachel and Phil are here for: to help you"

"Pwomise daddy?"

"I promise"

"Pwomise Rachel?"

"I promise"

"Okay"

"You ready to go for a picnic in the park?" Eddie asked.

"We take football?"

"It's in the car with the Frisbee"

"Me ready daddy"

"Come on then"

Rachel smiled as they headed out; at the park twenty minutes later, they all sat on the blanket as Eddie started to unpack the carrier bags of treats he had brought. There was sandwiches, crisps, chocolates, cakes, cans of Pepsi and Apple Tango, for Rachel, and lollipops.

"Wow, that's a lot daddy" Michael said, looking at the food.

"Today's about having lots of fun, okay buddy"

"And not sad about mommy?"

"It's okay to be sad but we need to have fun too; we'll have fun and eat and then we'll go back to Rachel's and watch cartoons and read you a story before bed"

"Stay at Rachel's again?"

"Is that okay buddy?" Rachel asked.

"Sleep in your bed?"

"If you want to or…we can make up your own room"

"Me scared daddy" he whispered.

"How about we decide later, eh?"

Michael nodded and looked at Rachel, who smiled at him before watching as he and Eddie ran off to play football.

"You not gonna join in?" Rachel asked Phil.

"I thought I'd see how you were doing; this must be hard on you too?"

"He needs the support" she answered simply.

"But it's hard?"

"We've only been going out for two weeks and now…I'm like a mom to Michael; I'm just not sure I'm ready for that"

"Do you want to be a mom?"

"Maybe one day"

"Maybe you should talk to Eddie; don't force yourself to be okay with this if you're not"

"I'll be okay; he's grieving and needs the support"

"But that doesn't mean you have to pretend you're okay with this; Rache, you looked after me for the last few weeks because you didn't have a choice. Don't get Michael's hopes up; he really likes you and if you leave it and things go wrong with Eddie, he's gonna be the one that suffers the most"

"I know" she said, watching them. "I just…I've never thought of myself as maternal before you and Michael came along but now…I'm scared that I'll get it wrong…"

"You've been great with me and with Michael, it's still new; give it time and you'll be okay"

"I hope so because…I love them and I don't wanna lose Eddie because of it"

"You wont"

"Thanks Phil"

As Phil went over to play with Michael, Eddie went over and sat behind Rachel; his arms wrapped around her waist and kissed her hair.

"You're scared, aren't you?" he asked.

"Of what?"

"This. You want to be a mom but you don't wanna screw it up"

"How did you know?"

"Because you wouldn't be Rachel Mason if you weren't scared"

"I don't wanna let him down Eddie; he's just lost his mom"

"He adores you and I'm pretty fond of you too"

"But is it enough to get us through this?"

"I think so; let's just see how the weekend goes. He'll be back at school on Monday so I wanna make sure he's okay"

"You can take as long as you need off; I can manage without a deputy"

"I'll be there; here parents are dealing with the funeral arrangements and I could use the distraction"

"I love you Eddie"

"I love you too"

He kissed her as they watched Michael and Phil playing with the football; both secretly hoping that they would get through this as a family and come out of it stronger.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: Getting the girl**

Hope you like this and I apologise for it's length; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

**Chapter Eight**

On the Monday morning, they had dropped Michael at school, explaining to his teacher what had happened and gave her Rachel's number in case of an emergency; his teacher, Mrs Williams, had promised to keep an eye on Michael and make sure he was okay. The arrived at the school at half eight and went straight up to the staff room where they quickly did a de-brief before they all heading off separately; Rachel was midway through her paperwork when the phone rang at just after ten. She took the call before grabbing her coat and bag, telling Joyce she was heading out for an hour on her way out to the school car park; she arrived at Michael's primary school and went into the main entrance where he was sat on the chairs with the TA as she tried to soothe him. She quickly signed him out before scooping him up into her arms and rubbing his back gently.

"It's okay sweetie, I'm here; what happened?"

Michael sniffled and buried his head into her shoulder before she carried him out to the car where she strapped him into his booster seat and taking him back to the school; she sat on her corner sofa and gently rocked him as he sat on her lap.

"It's okay; what happened this morning?"

"They…made…fun…of…me" he sniffled.

"Why were they making fun of you?"

"Because…mommy…died"

"Oh sweetie; it's okay. Why don't we get you a drink and wipe your eyes?"

Michael nodded as Rachel used a tissue to wipe his tears away before handing him his bottle of juice out of his bag; slowly, with Rachel rocking him back and forth and rubbing his back, he slowly drifted off. She gently laid him on the sofa and covered him with a blanket as she kissed his forehead; she sighed and realised that keeping him in the school all day was not going to be realistic. She needed to take him home and spend the day with him to cheer him up and keep him occupied; she gave a message to Joyce to go and find Eddie; twenty minutes later, he was knocking on the door.

"What happened? Is he okay?" he asked, sitting next to his son and stroking his hair.

"A couple of the kids were making fun of him because of his mom"

"Is he okay though?"

"He was emotional and really upset but…he's had a drink and had a nap so hopefully, he'll be okay"

"So what are we gonna do? I've got a full teaching day"

"I'll take him home and do my paperwork from there"

"Are you sure though? I don't want your work to suffer"

"It'll be okay; although, if I've got the car…how are you and Phil gonna get home?"

"I'll drop you off now; Chris is covering for an hour"

"Okay"

Half hour later, with Eddie back at work, Rachel helped Michael out of his uniform before sitting him on her lap on the sofa with a cookie.

"It's gonna be okay sweetie; daddy will be home later. Do you wanna watch cartoons?"

Michael nodded; she turned it on and watched it with him for a while before sitting him on the sofa and looking at him.

"I have to do some work now sweetie; you can sit and watch your cartoons or play with your toys and I'll play with you in a bit, okay?"

"Okay Rachel; can I have another cookie?"

"Course you can"

She put the plate of cookies on the table for him before lifting her laptop out of her bag and switching it on; an hour later, Michael had snuggled against her leg on the sofa and drifted off, his arm wrapped around her leg for comfort. She looked down and seeing him so confused and scared, even in his sleep, she switched the laptop off and placed it on the coffee table before throwing the blanket over Michael and watching him sleep, slowly allowing the sleep to take over her; this was the position Eddie found them in when he sneaked back at dinnertime to checked on them. He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead as he sat on the arm of the sofa and watched her eyes fluttered opened.

"Hey" he whispered.

"Hey, you're home…at lunchtime…why?" she asked, noticing the time.

"Because I wanted to bring you dinner; I got your favourite" he answered, holding up the bag of food from McDonalds.

"You didn't have to do that"

"I did; are you gonna wake him up or am I?"

"Michael, honey, it's time to wake up" she said, softly.

His eyes fluttered open and seeing Eddie, he burst into tears and legged it upstairs to his room; Eddie looked at Rache who shrugged her shoulders before taking the food into the dining area whilst Eddie went upstairs. He sat on Michael's bed and gently stroked his back as his son refused to look at him.

"Daddy angry…" he whispered.

"For what?"

"Cwying and…making Rachel…pick me up…and miss work" he answered inbetween sobs.

"I'm not angry; I shouldn't have taken you to school today. You needed time with daddy, didn't you?"

Michael nodded.

"So…how about I spend all day tomorrow with you?"

"No work?"

"I promise"

"And Rachel?"

"She'll stay with you this afternoon but she's probably gonna go to work tomorrow"

"Sowwi daddy" Michael said, hugging him tightly.

"It's okay mate; daddy brought McDonalds, are you hungry?"

"Yeah"

"Come on then"

They went back downstairs where Michael sat on Rachel's lap and ate him Chicken nugget happy meal; afterwards, Eddie reluctantly headed back to work while Rachel sat up to the table colouring with Michael.

"Daddy stay home tomorrow Rachel"

"I know he is but I have to go back to work, okay?"

"You play with me tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I will; but not until I come home. You'll have lots of fun with daddy, wont you?"

"Yeah"

"And we'll have Pizza for dinner"

"I like Pizza"

"I know you do and tonight, we'll have chicken and spaghetti; do you want to help me?"

"We make cookies too?"

"Course we can; how about you go and wash your hands and I'll get the ingredients out?" she said as she put his crayons back in the box.

"Okay Rachel"

She chuckled to herself as Michael ran out of the room; when Eddie returned a couple of hours later, he was greeted by the smell of freshly made chocolate chip cookies and the dinner cooking. He walked into the kitchen and saw Michael standing on a chair, stirring the spaghetti as Rachel watched him; he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her hair as she smiled.

"Something smells amazing"

"Me cooking daddy" Michael said, proudly.

"I can see that buddy; you're doing a good job"

"How was your afternoon?" Rachel asked him.

"Lonely without you been there; I take it you two had a fun afternoon then?"

"Yeah, we did; I missed you too. I was thinking of maybe seeing if Phil can babysit Friday night so we can go out?"

"I'd like that"

"You leave?" Michael asked, looking at them.

"No, how about if Phil takes you bowling and to the arcade? Would you like that?"

"You and Rachel come too?"

"Well, we will go bowling but we'll play on our own while you have fun"

"But you still there?"

"I promise buddy"

"Okay daddy"

"Good boy; why don't you go and say hello to Phil while I talk to Rachel?" he suggested as he lifted Michael off the chair and onto the floor.

As he ran off in the direction of the stairs, Rachel checked on the chicken before turning in Eddie's arms and kissing him.

"I've wanted to do that all afternoon; I couldn't stop thinking about you"

"Me neither" she said, leaning in for another kiss.

"How about…we'll settle Michael in bed after dinner and then I'll give you a nice, relaxing massage?"

"Sounds perfect; then you can have me for dessert" she winked.

"Can't wait…"

He leant in and kissed her passionately, neither of them could contain their happiness or excitement for what would come later.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: Getting the girl**

First off, I am sooo sorry for taking soooo llong to update. I've had half this chapter already written and then my laptop has been playing up big time but im hoping I have now fixed it

This is an _**extreme M warning**_ so if you don't like explicit stuff or are under 18 , don't read just skip ahead to the next one.

Hope you like this and I apologise for it's length; something completely different to what I normally write but I hope I've done their relationship justice. Oh and I know towards the end, its totally out of character for her but this is the direction I want to go in.

Enjoy and click the review button to let me no your views.

**Chapter Nine**

Pushed down on the bed, Rachel panted in anticipation of what was going to happen; she moaned and thrusted her body upwards as Eddie climbed above her and started to kiss her neck, slowly undressing her.

"You're amazingly beautiful, do you know that?"

"If you say so; I don't think so" she replied, her eyes casting downwards to her scar.

"Hey, that scar defines who you are and what you did that day; you tried to save him even after everything he put you through" he said, lifting her chin to look at him.

"But I'm not me anymore…"

"You've always been you; and that scar is a symbol of your bravery and everything you've overcome"

"If you say so"

"I do; you trust me, don't you?"

"With my life" she whispered, staring into his eyes.

"Then lie back and let me reassure you"

"Eddie…be gentle?"

"I promise, I know you're not comfortable with the whole rough sex"

"I…just…I know you're grieving and I don't want anything to happen that you'll regret"

"Rache…"

"I can see it in your eyes; you're hurting and you want me to take away that pain and I want to, more than anything but I don't know how…" she rambled, staring into his eyes as she held his hands.

"You're here, that's enough" he answered, leaning into to kiss her again.

"But is it enough? It's okay to hurt and grieve and cry; it's okay to miss her Eddie"

"I…she's Michael's mother, and Stephen's…I…" he couldn't talk through choking up with tears.

"Just let me hold you tonight?"

She held her arms out and allowed him to crawl into them as they settled under the duvet; it wasn't the night they had planned but she needed Eddie to realise it was okay to be grieving and hurting. Slowly they allowed the land of nod to consume them until early the next morning when Michael came running into the room, jumping on the bed; Rachel opened her eyes and pulled Michael down in between them.

"Morning honey; did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah; why's daddy's eyes red?"

"He was really upset last night but how about we cheer him up and make him breakfast?"

"Yeah"

"Come on then"

She pulled on her robe and took his hand before they went downstairs; she pulled out the ingredients to make pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and toast. She let Michael stand on the chair next to the counter and to stir the mixture for the pancakes; when it was all ready, she got Michael to carefully carry the glass of orange juice whilst she carried the tray of breakfast for all of them upstairs.

"Daddy…wake up; we made you breakfast" Michael said from his spot at the side of the bed.

"You did?"

"Yep! So you _have_ to get up or we eat it"

"Okay"

He sat up and took the orange juice as Rachel put the tray on the middle of the bed and she and Michael joined him on top.

"This is very yummy; thank you buddy" he said, smiling at Michael.

"Rachel said you were sad"

"Yeah mate but it's gonna be okay; shouldn't you be getting ready for work?" he asked, looking at Rachel.

"Nope; I phoned Kim last night and she's covering for the day so I can spend the day with my two favourite boys"

"What about me?" Phil asked from the doorway.

"You have an exam so you have to go in…but I've told Ms Campbell that you can come home afterwards"

"Thanks Rache"

"Your breakfast is in the oven keeping warm"

As Phil disappeared downstairs, she, Eddie and Michael sat eating their breakfast before Michael went to play as Rachel rested back against eddie's chest in his arms.

"Thank you"

"You're welcome; and this afternoon, I'll get Phil to take Michael to the park and we can have some 'us' time"

"Sounds good; what should we do with him this morning?"

"How about we just watch cartoons or something?"

"Perfect…just like you" he said, leaning forward to kiss her passionately, his hand resting on the back of her neck.

"We have to stop; Michael could walk in any minute. Later, I promise"

"Okay"

Later that afternoon, with the five year old out with Phil, Eddie gently undressed himself and Rachel before pushing her on the bed and climbing on top. He started on her lips before kissing down her body until he reached her wet centre; his tongue did one hard long lick on the liquid causing her moan and thrust her hips off the bed.

"Down" he said, holding her legs down. "Keep them here or I'll have to punish you"

"You wouldn't"

"You wanna try me? Because I happen to know you have some gadgets which would come in very handy right now!"

"Oh yeah, like what?" she smirked, knowing what he was referring to.

"You really want me to show you?"

"I have been a naughty girl, skipping work" she whispered into his ear. "Eddie, its fine, I trust you"

"Okay, but I did warn you; close your eyes"

"Why?"

"I said…"

She sighed and complied until she felt him taking her hands and handcuffing them to the posts of the bed, followed by her legs.

"Are you sure Rache cos when I start the only way I'll stop is if you tell me to?"

"Yes"

"Okay"

She bucked her hips as she felt him licking at her centre again until she felt something gently been pushed into her.

"Ugh"

"It's okay Rache, I promise; you're gonna enjoy every single second of this"

He gently got off the bed and looked at her.

"You can open your eyes now" he said.

The moment she did, he switched the remote control vibrator on high.

"Oh god…" she sobbed.

"That's it, don't fight it"

After a couple of minutes, he turned it off and climbed back on the bed; he kissed her passionately as he slipped back into her.

A while later, she was snuggled against him when the front door shut; they got dressed and headed downstairs where Michael ran straight into eddie's arms.

"Hey buddy, did you have fun at the park?"

"Yeah; you play with me tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to work this week, okay?"

"Love you daddy"

"I love you too buddy"

He kissed his forehead as Rachel snuggled into his side and stroked Michael's back.


	10. Chapter 10

Getting the girl - chapter 10

The next day, Rachel reluctantly went to work and left Eddie to spend the day with his son; within an hour of been at the school, she was wishing she was at home with her family. After organising for Kim and Tom to take over for the week, she headed to the travel agents before heading home; hearing the front door close, Eddie was surprised to see Rachel walking through the door.

"What are you doing home?" he asked, kissing her softly as she sat next to him and allowed Michael to climb on her lap.

"I'm taking my boys on holiday"

"But the school...you've just had to have a couple of days off last week"

"As far as the LEA and the staff are concerned, I have a family emergency to deal with...Eddie, I know tomorrow will be hard for you both but we can go as soon as its over. Spend some time together"

"We going on holiday Rachel?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, we are; would you like that?"

"Is Phil coming too?"

"Yep; we are going to say goodbye to your mommy tomorrow and then go"

"Where are we going?"

"Yeah...where are we going?" Eddie smirked.

"My favourite place in the world. Blackpool"

"Can we daddy?"

Eddie looked at his son then back at Rachel, both had hopeful looks on their faces.

"Okay...I guess we can go"

"Yay" they both squealed. "Honey, go with daddy to pack your clothes while I talk to Phil; we're there til Saturday"

With Michael occupied with Eddie, Rachel went upstairs to the third level where Phil was lying on his bed, revising.

"Hey" she said as she knocked on the door.

"What are you doing here?"

"I...live here" she joked.

"I know...I meant at this time of the day?"

"You've got no exams until next week have you?"

"Nope"

"Good...cos we're going to Blackpool for a couple of days tomorrow after the funeral"

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah, I think it's just what Eddie and Michael need; obviously, you'll have to take your revision with you"

"I have no problem with that"

"Good. I'll leave you to it then"

Rachel smiled at all three of their happiness at her surprise.


	11. Chapter 11

Getting the girl chapter 11

Disclaimer: I dont own waterloo road or any of its charaters.

The next day, Michael and Eddie went to say goodbye to Alison whilst Phil and Rachel loaded the car and made sure everything was ready; at just after one, the front door closed and Michael ran into Rachel's arms, crying softly as Eddie embraced them both.

"It's okay honey, I've got you...both of you" she whispered, looking at Eddie.

"Come on buddy; lets go and get changed so we can go on holiday" Eddie suggested.

"Rachel help me?" he whispered.

"Course I will honey, come here"

Rachel carried him upstairs and sat him on the bed as she gave him his clothes to put on.

"Mommy's gone forever" he said sadly.

"I know honey" she softly replied, stroking his hair. "But I know she's still watching over you with all the other angels to keep you safe; it's okay to be sad and to cry because...you miss her and love her lots. Daddy's sad and misses her too and sometimes, daddy cries when he thinks about your mommy or when you're sad and crying; i think...you and daddy need to look after each other, yeah?"

Michael nodded before getting changed; an hour later, they were on the road. Michael had fallen asleep in the back as had Phil who had his headphones in whilst Rachel drove. Glancing over to her left for a split second, she noticed how quiet Eddie had been since he and Michael got home; after changing gear, she took Eddie's hand as he looked at her.

"You okay?" she asked, lookkng back at the road.

"Yeah"

"You've been quiet since we left; I'm just concerned about you"

"Today was hard Rache; I know we split up five years ago but in the last year, we've managed to be amicable enough for Michael's sake"

"It will get easier...for both of you; and I'll wait as long as you need me to"

"I know; Rache, I need you to know. I'm not grieving because I still love her because I dont; she'll always have a place in my heart. She's Michael and Stephen's mom; but it's YOU I want to be with and it's you I care...deeply about"

"I know that Eddie; like I said, I'll wait as long as you need me to. I'm not going to push you or Michael into anyyhing when you're not ready for it, not yet"

"I'm glad I have you"

"Me too" she whispered, glancing briefly at him and smiling.


	12. Chapter 12

Getting the girl chapter 12

Disclaimer: I dont own waterloo road or any of its charaters.

Later that evening, they had checked in to the hotel on the sea front and put their luggage in their room; Rachel had booked a family suite with two seperate bedrooms: a double for her and Eddie and two singles in the other for Michael and Phil to share. They had dinner of fish and chips before heading onto the pier; Rachel watched as Michael stood at the 2p machine hoping to win the prize that was dangling on the edge. She smiled as Eddie wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead, silently thankful for the distraction from the morning.

"He's happy" he said, motioning to Michael who was getting Phil to help him.

"Good; I was thinking we could take him to the doctor who museum tomorrow"

"He'd like that; thank you. You didnt have to do this"

"You both needed the break...and it'll do Phil some good too"

"Rachel...we got it" Michael yelled, showing her the Spongebob toy that had just dropped.

"That's great honey; come on, let's find something else to win" she said, holding her hand out for him.

An hour or so later, they were back in their room with Michael asleep, Phil revising on his bed in their room with his headphones in as to not disturb the young boy and Eddie and Rachel lying in their bed.

"You okay?" she asked him as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I guess; I wish Michael hadnt had to go through any of this. He's just a kid; he doesnt deserve it"

"He'll get through it...and so will you"

"I couldnt have done it without you...I mean, we havent really spent much time alone together"

"We will, Michael comes first"

"I know this hasnt been easy for you either; in the space of three weeks, you've had Phil dumped on you, started a new realtionship and now Michael..."

"Eddie, I dont mind; Mel has always been unreliable and unpredictable but you and Michael, I wouldnt change that. Do I wish we couldve got to know each other better beforehand? Sometimes but that was my fault for been so insecure; he's a great kid and I dont mind. If I did, I wouldnt let you stay at my house would I?"

"You're amazing, you know that?" he said, leaning in for a kiss.

"So I've been told" she whispered, leaning in for another kiss.

Slowly, the kiss intensified until Eddie's hand slid under her pyjama bottoms and underwear; she sighed as his fingers brought her over the edge. Completely exhausted, she snuggled against him and slept until the door opened and Michael climbed into the bed, cuddling her and in tears.

"What's the matter honey?" she whispered.

"Bad dream" he wept.

"It's okay; you can stay here with me an daddy. Go back to sleep honey"

She rubbed his back as they both slowly drifted off again.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: see previous chapters.

The next day, Michael had been completely mesmorised by the Doctor Who museum; he had spent ages staring at each exhibit before Rachel and Eddie had let him get something from the gift shop. After lunch, they sat on the beach for a while just watching him build sandcastles with Phil; Rachel smiled and tucked her hair back behind her ear as she rested her head on Eddie's shoulder and his arm around her.

"Phil's offered to look after Michael for an hour later so we can take a walk?" Eddie suggested.

"Sounds good"

"You tired?"

"A little, just a headache"

"Wanna head back for an hour? You and Michael can have a nap for a while"

"Hmmm"

Calling over to Michael and Phil, they headed back to the hotel where Michael snuggled against Rachel as they both slept; that evening, with Michael in bed, Eddie held Rachel's hand as they walked along the beach.

"Feel any better?" he asked.

"Yeah"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Us..."

"What about us?"

"It's been three weeks since we got together"

"I know...it's gone quick"

"Three weeks...and we're already on holiday; you havent been home in a week"

"Do you not want me there?"

"Just the opposite; i dont want you to go. It's been nice having you two there, and for Phil too"

"What are you saying?"

"I want you to move in with me in the summer; just another couple of weeks"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah; its what i want...more than anything"

He smiled and leant in to kiss her loving.

Authors note: apologise for the short update. Have been busy and have three other stories to update too.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

Authors note: this is just a filler chapter. DO NOT READ IF UNDER 18. WARNING. RATING M. it is major M between them so if you are under 18 or not into that sort of things then skip this chapter and wait for the next. it wont be long and you wont be missing anything if you do.

A few weeks later and it was finally the summer holidays; Eddie had moved all of his and Michael's belongings into Rachel's and was now sat on the decking out back with a glass of wine.

"No going back now" he joked.

"I dont want to go back; we've already wasted enough time apart. This is our future now: me and you and Michael and Phil" she smiled, holding his hand.

"Me too; i cant wait to spend the rest of my life with you"

He leant forward and kissed her softly; taking the glass out of her hand, he led them inside and up to their bedroom after locking up. Shutting the door behind them, Eddie kissed her again, this time more passionately; she moaned as she felt his tongue searching for hers and his hands wondering down to her jeans. Unbuttoning and pulling the zipper down, Eddie slide a hand inside her jeans and underwear and felt her getting wet already; after they discarded all their clothes, Rachel laid on the bed and sighed as he slowly kissed his way down from her neck to her breasts to her stomach and finally her centre. He wanted to pleasure her and make up for thrusting motherhood on her so quickly into the relationship; going into her drawer, he found the familiar objects and pulled them out into her view. She groaned in anticipation as he slowly teased her entrance with the vibrator; with it finally in place, he took the blindfold and kissed her softly before covering her eyes. Finally to ensure she couldnt move, he tied her legs to the bed posts and leant forward to whisper into her ear.

"You deserve a treat; you have done so much for Michael and I so this is for you. But there are rules; you cant move your hips, touch yourself and cum until i say so, if you do you'll be waiting longer. Do you understand?"

She groaned but didnt respond.

"I asked a question; are you going to answer or do you need to be punished?" he answered, tweaking her peaked nipple.

"Oh god" she sobbed, he'd only just started and she needed to cum so badly. "I promise"

"Good girl"

He kissed her again as he switched the vibrator on low, nowhere near enough for Rachel; at least not until his hands found his way round to her backside.

She panicked slightly as she felt him seek out her anus.

"No" she whispered.

He instantly stopped and moved back to her ear.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No" she sobbed "More...please"

He turned the vibrator up more and his hands returned to their previous place; sensing she wasnt entirely comfortable with what he was planning, he turned up the vibrator and attacked her breasts instead. He felt her struggling to keep her hips down as the vibrations took over her body.

"Please?" she begged.

"Not yet" he whispered, his hand moving down to her centre.

After a few minutes, he kissed her loving and turned the object up before whispering into her ear, "you can cum baby"

She sobbed as she came intensly; Eddie holding her tight as she got through it.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

Authors note: i had a review asking how eddie would deal with punishment. that will be coming up but in a different way

_Previously:_

_After a few minutes, he kissed her loving and turned the object up before whispering into her ear, "you can cum baby"_

_She sobbed as she came intensly; Eddie holding her tight as she got through it._

During the course of the summer, Eddie and Rachel had made sure both boys were doing activities and had special time with them both; for Rachel, it was a chance to get to know Michael but also to spend time with Phil and made sure he was doing okay. He was nervous about his results after screwing up a couple of times; Phil had also babysat a couple of times to allow Eddie to take Rachel out on proper dates. He took her for dinner and the cinema and a picnic in the park; however, over the last couple of days, Rachel was ignoring him and giving him the cold shoulder.

"Rache...have i do something wrong?" he asked the one night as they cleaned the kitchen.

"No"

"Then why have you been ignoring me?"

"I havent" she lied.

"Dont lie to me Rache; i know you better than you think. I dont know why but over the last two days, you havent said a word to me"

"I'm fine" she said as she wiped the table.

"Rache...stop" he said, holding her arms gently. "Talk to me; if it's something i've done then tell me so we can work it out"

"I cant" she whispered.

"Why?"

"Because..."

"Because what?"

"I think i'm pregnant!" she shouted.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

_Previously:_

_"Rache...stop" he said, holding her arms gently. "Talk to me; if it's something i've done then tell me so we can work it out"_

_"I cant" she whispered._

_"Why?"_

_"Because..."_

_"Because what?"_

_"I think i'm pregnant!" she shouted._

"What?" he asked.

"You heard" she bit back.

"Are you sure?"

"No! I'm just imagining things! Of course i'm bloody sure!"

"Okay...Rache...I'm on your side here; i should go and get a test"

"I already have one" she whispered.

"Okay; let's go and find out for sure and then we can go from there"

She sighed and put the cloth down; ten minutes later, they were staring at the NEGATIVE test.

"I was so sure" she whispered, tears forming.

"It's okay Rache" he said, holding her close.

She was so confused; she was scared as hell at the thought of been pregnant but she was more disappointed that she wasnt pregnant. She snuggled closer into Eddie as she cried; his fingers lulling her into a sense of calm enough to sleep.

Authors note: please bear with me. all is not as it seems. apologies for the shortness of update.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

_Previously:_

_She was so confused; she was scared as hell at the thought of been pregnant but she was more disappointed that she wasnt pregnant. She snuggled closer into Eddie as she cried; his fingers lulling her into a sense of calm enough to sleep._

The summer holidays went by and Rachel did her best to forget about the negative pregnancy test; that had been six weeks ago and they were now two weeks into the new school year.

She was up to her eyes in paperwork and feeling particularly emotional and crappy; she had had a message from one of her friends out of work announcing the birth of her baby daughter the previous day. Eddie had tried his hardest to keep her mind off if it but although she tried, it wasnt working too well. She went through the days doing what she had to, attending to Michael's needed when she got home as well as her nightly talks to Phil who had got a job in London; as for Eddie, she hadnt let him touch her since, despite knowing it could end with a positive test.

This particular day, everything was going wrong for her; her laptop kept freezing, her phone was ringing non-stop and she'd spilt coffee on herself. Needing to get away for a while, she left a message with her secretary, she took a drive round, hoping to clear her thoughts. The last thing she saw was another car heading straight towards her.

Back at the school, Eddie was getting worried when Bridget had told him Rachel hadnt returned after two hours; he tried her mobile but there was no answer. Sighing, he went and picked Michael up, hoping Rachel would be at home waiting but was even more worried when she wasnt; he'd just pulled into the driveway when his phone rang.

"Hello..."

"Is that Mr Lawson?" a person asked on the other end.

"Yeah, speaking"

"My name is Doctor Lewis from Manchester General; i'm afraid Rachel Mason has been brought in after a car accident and you were down as next of kin"

"And her injuries...?"

"I'm afraid Miss Mason..."


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

Authors note: so i realise that i left it in a really horrible place so here is the next chapter beforw i update my other fics.

_Previously:_

_Back at the school, Eddie was getting worried when Bridget had told him Rachel hadnt returned after two hours; he tried her mobile but there was no answer. Sighing, he went and picked Michael up, hoping Rachel would be at home waiting but was even more worried when she wasnt; he'd just pulled into the driveway when his phone rang._

_"Hello..."_

_"Is that Mr Lawson?" a person asked on the other end._

_"Yeah, speaking"_

_"My name is Doctor Lewis from Manchester General; i'm afraid Rachel Mason has been brought in after a car accident and you were down as next of kin"_

_"And her injuries...?"_

_"I'm afraid Miss Mason..."_

"...Is in a stable condition; she's sustained a minor head injury, a broken wrist and bruises. However, our initial tests showed that the baby is alright"

"Baby...? What baby?"

"I'm sorry, did you not know?"

"We did a home test about six weeks ago but it came back negative"

"Well, i can tell you she is around the 14 week mark; now due to the accident, their is still a risk she could miscarry but all the signs look good so far"

"Okay, er, is she conscious?"

"Yeah, she's been asking for you and someone called Michael?"

"My son; can you let her know we are on our way?"

"Absolutely; she's on the general ward. The nurses know you will be coming by"

"Thanks"

He ended the call and put the car into reverse; in the back seat, Michael was scared and confused.

"Daddy...where are we going? Where's Rachel?"

"Buddy...Rachel had an accident in the car"

"Like mommy?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Hey, buddy, Rachel isnt going anywhere; she hurt her arm and her head but she's awake and asking to see you. We're gonna go and see her now"

"Can we get her a present?"

"Course we can; we'll go to the gift shop"

Michael looked out the window, scared he was going to lose Rachel like he lost his mom; at the hospital, they stopped at the gift shop before heading up to the ward. They were showed to Rachels bed in the side ward where Rachel was lying in the bed, a cast on her right wrist, a bandage on her head and an IV drip in her left hand; Eddie sat on the chair and gently took her hand with Michael sat on his lap. He smiled as Rachel opened her eyes and looked over them; she smiled as he leant over and kissed her forehead just below the bandage.

"Hey" she whispered, tiredly.

"Hey beautiful; how you feeling?"

"Sore"

"I'm not surprised; I spoke to the doctor earlier. They ran some routine tests; Rache...the test was wrong; you _**are **_pregnant"

"What?"

"Yeah, about 14 weeks; everything looks fine though"

"Hmmm"

"Go to sleep baby; we'll be here when you wake up"

An hour later, she awoke again and looked back at him; her eyes went wide as she looked at her stomach and placed her hand on it.

"Eddie...am i...?"

"Yeah, you are baby"

"I thought the test was negative?" she asked, looking at him.

"Maybe it was just too early to show"

"What happened?"

"You had a car accident; you were lucky"

"Rachel...can i have a cuddle?" Michael asked.

"Sure buddy"

"Be careful Michael" Eddie warned as he sat him on the bed and watched him clong to Rachel. "He thought he was going to lose you like he lost his mom"

"I'm sorry; it came out of nowhere"

"Why werent you at work?" he asked taking her hand again.

"I needed to clear my head; i was having a really bad day. My laptop kept crashing, the phone was ringing constantly and i spilt my coffee over me and then Laura messaged me to say she had her daughter yesterday and...i couldnt handle it anymore. I was on my way back..."

"I was so worried when Bridget said you had been gone for two hours and you werent answering your phone..."

"I'm sorry; I've been so horrible and distant with you and then Phil moved away and...i miss him Eddie" she whispered.

"I know you do baby...I've spoke to him and he's got a meeting first thing but nothing until Friday so he's coming down to see you; the doctor said you are likely to be in until at the least Wednesday"

"Okay"

"I'm gonna have to go home tonight; there isnt anyone to have Michael"

"I know"

"I wish i didnt though"

"We dont have a choice though, not with Phil not been here" she responded, sadly.

"Hey, i'll see what i can do"

"Sorry" she whispered.

"Dont be; the doctor is gonna come in and do some checks so i'm gonna go and get him some dinner and make some calls"

"Okay, can you leave him here?"

"Sure"

He kissed her forehead before leaving the room; later that evening, after dropping Michael off at Tom's, Eddie had picked some stuff up at the house before heading back to Rachel's private side room.

"Hey...you okay?" he asked, noticing she was looking at something in her hand.

"It's our baby" she said, showing him the ultrasound as he sat on the edge of the bed with his arm around her.

"Its perfect; what did the doctor say?"

"Everything's fine; just gotta take it easy"

"I'll make sure you do; are you comfy or warm enough?"

"Yeah, just need you"

"I'm not going anywhere so try and get some sleep; i have to take Michael to school in the morning and then i'll be back, i promise"

"I love you" she whispered, sleepily.

"I love you too Rachel Mason" he whispered back.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

_Previously:_

_"Hey...you okay?" he asked, noticing she was looking at something in her hand._

_"It's our baby" she said, showing him the ultrasound as he sat on the edge of the bed with his arm around her._

_"Its perfect; what did the doctor say?"_

_"Everything's fine; just gotta take it easy"_

_"I'll make sure you do; are you comfy or warm enough?"_

_"Yeah, just need you"_

_"I'm not going anywhere so try and get some sleep; i have to take Michael to school in the morning and then i'll be back, i promise"_

_"I love you" she whispered, sleepily._

_"I love you too Rachel Mason" he whispered back._

The next afternoon, Eddie had gone to pick Michael up from school and to get some dinner, leaving Rachel alone; she looked up as the door opened and her nephew came in.

"Phil..."

"Hey, Rache; you know, if you wanted me to come home, you could've just told me? You didnt need to do all of this" he joked as he sat on the chair next to her and took her hand.

"I miss you; and i know you've grown up and doing your own thing and i am proud of you for that...i just...wish you were still my little nephew, that's all" she admitted.

"I know"

"Phil...I'm pregnant"

"You are? That's great"

"The original test came back negative; the doctor found out yesterday"

"How far along?"

"14 weeks"

"Wow, congratulations" he said, looking at the ultrasound and back at her. "How you feeling?"

"Better...now you're here again; I'm tired and sore but...i'll be fine"

"Can i get you anything?"

"I'm good; Eddie's made sure i have everything i need"

"He really knows how to look after you, doesnt he?"

"Yeah...he does" she whispered, tiredly.

"Get some rest; i'll still be here when you wake up"

He held her hand gently as she drifted on; by the time Eddie and Michael had arrived back, Rachel had woke up and had her dinner.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Eddie asked as he sat on the bed whilst Michael jumped onto Phil's lap.

"Yeah"

"Hey Phil, how's the job going?" Eddie asked him.

"Good; I have to leave Thursday afternoon though"

"So soon?" Rachel asked.

"I have a meeting on Friday; but i can come back up afterwards for the weekend"

"No, dont waste your money"

"Rache, you dont know how hard it has been for me to be away from you; i think about you every day...that's why i'm transferring back to the Manchester office. That's what my meeting is about on Friday"

"Really?" she whispered, looking at him.

"Yeah, i could be back home within the month...if you'll still have me?"

"Of course i still want you"

"So...i _will _be back Friday afternoon; we've got some catching up to do"

"Rachel...can i have a cuddle?" Michael asked.

"Course honey"

With Michael snuggled against her, Phil holding her hand and Eddie stroking her hair, Rachel slowly drifted off once again.

She was finally discharged on Thursday morning and was able to spend an hour with Phil before Eddie took him to the station; she laid on the sofa, watching a dvd as she waited for him to return. She slowly put her hand on her stomach and felt the little hardness of her baby and smiled; she couldnt believe she was finally going to have a son or daughter of her own. Her phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts; she sighed and answered it.

"Hey, did he get off okay?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way back; do you want me to get you anything on my way?"

"I'm good; just need you back here"

"I'll be as quick as i can, i promise"

"I love you"

"I love you too baby"

The following afternoon, Rachel was up to riding with Eddie to the station to pick Phil up; as soon as she saw her nephew get off the train, she smiled and hugged him close.

"Welcome home Phil"


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

_Previously:_

_The following afternoon, Rachel was up to riding with Eddie to the station to pick Phil up; as soon as she saw her nephew get off the train, she smiled and hugged him close._

_"Welcome home Phil"_

That evening, Michael was in bed, Eddie was having a shower and Phil and Rachel were sat on the sofa.

"How you doing?" Phil asked.

"Okay; i'll be off work for a week at least and the cast will come off in six"

"And the pain?"

"Bearable with the paracetamol; so tell me, how did your meeting go?"

"Good; i have to work out my notice for two weeks and then pack my stuff and get it down here so i'm looking at three weeks"

"It'll be nice having you home again; i just wish it was sooner"

"Why dont you come back with me for a week? I can show you the sights and stuff"

"I couldnt"

"Why not? You cant work at the minute; what's stopping you?"

"But what about Michael and Eddie?"

"I'm sure they can cope without you for a few days; i only have a couple of meetings this week so we can spend time together, catching up"

"Okay...i'll talk to Eddie later"

"Can i get you a drink? Or something?"

"I'm good; i should try and get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow we could do something as a family?"

"Sure, i was gonna see if Michael wanted to go to the cinema"

"He'd like that; i know he really wants to see Monsters University. Me and Eddie wouldnt mind it either"

"Okay; i'll see you in the morning"

"I'm glad you're back Phil"

"Me too Rache"

He smiled as Rachel stood up and headed upstairs; when Eddie came out of the en-suite, he laid next to her and kissed her forehead.

Two days later, Eddie and Michael were waving Phil and Rachel off at the station; she looked over at Phil in the seat next to her and smiled.

"London here we come" he grinned.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters. i also dont own any of the buildings mentioned.

Authors note: i apologise for the delay in updating. my phone isnt charging properly and still have three months before i can upgrade. i will try and update when i can.

_Previously:_

_Two days later, Eddie and Michael were waving Phil and Rachel off at the station; she looked over at Phil in the seat next to her and smiled._

_"London here we come" he grinned._

Rachel had thoroughly enjoyed her time in London with Phil; when he had a meeting, she would rest and take it easy until he came back and then they would explore. They went on the London Eye, visited Madam Taussauds and the Tower of London, had a walk through the park and generally, just had a good catch up. She had also gone and got Michael and Eddie a couple of presents each and despite talking to them both, every night, she missed them like crazy.

On Thursday, Rachel had to reluctantly return back home for her checkup on Friday; Phil saw her off at the train station before heading back to work. When the train pulled into Manchester Train station, Rachel smiled at the sight of Eddie and Michael waiting for her with a big bunch of flowers; she stepped off the carriage with her case and bag and pulled them both into a huge hug.

"I missed you so much" she sighed.

"Miss you too Rachel" Michael beamed, hugging her waist.

"Lets get you home, eh?" Eddie suggested.

"Lets get dinner first, my treat"

"Okay, where do you want to go?" he asked, pulled her case and bag as he held wrapped and arm around her so she could hold Michael's hand.

"Wherever my boys want to go"

"Pizza hut" Michael asked.

"Pizza hut it is then"

After dinner, they headed home where they sat on the sofa either side of Rachel as she pulled her bag onto her lap.

"Did you have a good time with daddy honey?"

"Yeah, whens uncle Phil coming homr?" Michael asked.

"Soon honey; now, guess what i have in here?"

"Presents?"

"Yep"

She pulled out the gift bag and handed one to Michael and one to Eddie; each filled with little souvenirs from London plus, in Michaels was a bear and in Eddie's was a mug and bear set.

"Thank you Rachel" Michael said, pulling on his tshirt.

"You're welcome honey; can you go and get your toys for your bath ready please?"

"Okay"

He kissed her cheek and ran off with his bag; Rachel smiled and turned to Eddie, snuggling against his shoulder.

"Did you have a good time then?"

"Yeah; it's nice to be home though"

"Why dont you go and get a shower and i'll see to Michael? An early start tomorrow"

"Okay"

She kissed him softly before retreating upstairs, unbeknown to Eddie, waiting with another surprise; she kissed Michael and told him she would see him in the morning before she went into her bedroom. After covering her cast up, she had her shower before pulled on the new nightwear she had brought and lying on the bed; when Eddie finally entered and saw her, he grinned and shut the door behind him, pulled off his top and crawled on the bed over her.

"What's all this?"

"A way of saying thank you...for letting me go to London"

"You can go away more often if this is my reward!" he winked.

"I love you" she whispered.

"I love you too...and our baby" he replied, touching her stomach.

"I dont want rough or any toys tonight, just you" she said, looking into her eyes.

He leant down and captured her lips in a passionate kiss; he slowly kissed down her neck until he reached her sensitive spot and she moaned, arching her back as she went for his jeans. With both of their clothes discarded, Eddie kissed her stomach before moving downwards; gently holding her hips in place so she wouldnt hurt herself anymore, he let his tongue do the work, before entering her and bringing her over the edge. As she came back down to earth, she pulled her night gown back on and snuggled against Eddie with the blankets over them as Eddie rested his hand on her stomach.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

_Previously:_

_As she came back down to earth, she pulled her night gown back on and snuggled against Eddie with the blankets over them as Eddie rested his hand on her stomach._

The next morning, the dropped Michael off at school before heading back to the hospital; the doctor checked her over and did an xray of her wrist before asking a midwife to come and do an ultrasound to check the baby. Rachel laid on the bed, her top rolled up and holding Eddie's hand as the midwife applied the gel and then the wand; Rachel smiled at heart her baby's heartbeat.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked, nervously.

"Baby is doing fine; from this, i'd say you are nearing 16 weeks not fourteen. All toes and fingers; and one very strong heartbeat" the midwife answer.

"Will the xrays harm the baby?" Eddie asked.

"Shouldnt do as we took precautions but there is always a slight risk; as i said, everything is looking good. We'll see you in around 4-5 weeks and we'll be able to determine the sex, should you want to know"

"Okay"

"If you take this to the front desk, they'll print off your sonogram and book you in" she explained, handed Rachel two pieces of paper and some towels to wipe off the gel.

"Thank you"

After stopping at the front desk, they headed for lunch before stopping in at the school where Tom was in the office.

"Hey Rache...how you doing?" Tom asked.

"I'm good; i'll be back on Monday"

"Only if you feel up to it; dont be rushing back"

"I dont think Eddie will let me if i even hint at feeling tired or sore"

"We should get you home; get some rest before Michael gets home" Eddie said.

Rachel nodded and leant against him, feeling more tired than she did; at home, she laid on the sofa, her head in Eddie's lap as he stroked her hair to lull her into a sense of sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters.

_Previously:_

_At home, she laid on the sofa, her head in Eddie's lap as he stroked her hair to lull her into a sense of sleep._

On Monday morning, Eddie awoke early and seen to getting himself dressed and Michael awake; when he looked at the clock after giving Michael his toast, he noticed it was 7:45 and Rachel still had emerged. He told Michael to hurry up before running up to the bedroom where Rachel was still sleeping; brushing her hair back, he noticed the fever she was starting to get.

"Rache" he whispered. "It's time to get up; we're gonna be late"

"Mmmm" she murmered.

"Rachel, you're feeling warm; i need to know if you feel okay?"

"Eddie" she whispered, her eyes fluttering open but still laced with sleep.

"Hey sleeping beauty" he smiled. "How you feeling?"

"Okay"

"You're running a slight fever; why dont you stay here for the day and rest?"

"I'll be fine"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm taking pain relief anyway; they will reduce the fever and i'll drink plenty" she answered, sitting up.

"Okay; I'll make you some toast. You need to eat before we go"

"Thanks; is Michael ready?"

"Yeah; I'll leave you to get ready"

She smiled as he kissed her forehead and left the room; she dressed in her black slacks, white tank top and black jumper. Pulling on her flat black pumps, she ran a brush through her hair before doing her business in the bathroom and heading downstairs; an hour later, they were at the school in her office. She sat in her chair and sighed, tiredly as Eddie put a mug of coffee in front of her and leant against the desk.

"Can i get you anything else?"

"I'm okay; i dont need anything"

"If it gets too much as you want to go home, you only have to say the word"

"I promise"

"Okay; i'll be by at the break to check on you. Try not to overdo it"

"I'll try"

She was part the way through her paperwork when her phone rang; she smiled at seeing the caller and answered.

"Hey Phil; how's it going?"

"Good; my manager has approved the transfer and the landlord has said i can move out straightaway and he's redeposited my months rent"

"You're coming home?"

"The weekend, yeah; i can take care of you again"

"It'll be nice having you home; i've missed you"

"I missed you too; i've arranged the van already. I'll have to sort out my room; get rid of all the old posters and stuff. Maybe redecorate...if thats okay?"

"Of course it is Phil; you can do anything you want for all i care. I'm just glad you're coming home; besides, you can help Eddie with the nursery"

"Course; i've gotta go. I'll speak to you later"

"Bye Phil"

After hanging up, Rachel smiled and put the phone down; she picked up her juice and drank the lot before leaning back in her chair. That evening, Rachel was lying in Eddie's arms, loving the feeling of his fingers running through her hair; she shifted her head and sighed.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"Yeah; Phil called this morning. He'll be back for good at the weekend"

"That's great news"

"Yeah"

She smiled and drifted off to sleep in Eddie's welcoming embrace.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters. Please check out my other stories.

_Previously:_

_That evening, Rachel was lying in Eddie's arms, loving the feeling of his fingers running through her hair; she shifted her head and sighed._

_"Are you feeling any better?" he asked._

_"Yeah; Phil called this morning. He'll be back for good at the weekend"_

_"That's great news"_

_"Yeah"_

_She smiled and drifted off to sleep in Eddie's welcoming embrace._

On Saturday afternoon, Rachel stood on her doorstep, smiled as Phil pulled on to the driveway with the removal van behind; as he stood out the car, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

"I missed you Phil"

"I'm home now; i can take care of you and the baby"

"I'd like that" she smiled.

With all of Phil's stuff in the garage and his room, he sat on the sofa and noticed Rachel's rounded stomach.

"You're starting to show?"

"Yeah. Well i am 17 weeks now...a few more weeks and we can find out the sex"

"Do you want to find out?"

"I think i do; when we found out i was pregnant, it was a shock but...it made me thankful that i have this chance"

"You'll make a great mom; you've helped Michael and i...a lot"

"I couldnt...wouldnt let you go into care or suffer on your own; you dont deserve that"

"I dont need her...not any more; i have you and that's all i need. I am also taking us out for dinner tonight, my treat"

"You dont have to do that"

"I want to; you've done so much for me. It's my way of saying thank you"

"Okay...i think i'm gonna go and have a lie down for an hour"

"Okay; i need to get unpacking anyway and take some of my crap to the tip"

"I'm glad you're home Phil"

She touched his shoulder before heading up to her bedroom where she laid on the bed, on her right hand side and her hand covering her bump.

That evening, they were sat in a restaurant in town, eating their desserts; Phil had told them to have whatever they wanted, even though Rachel had insisted she would pay half but Phil won the argument in the end. When they were done, they headed home and settled Michael in bed before Phil headed to his room and Rachel and Eddie went to theirs.

"You look exhausted" Eddie noticed as they changed into their pyjamas and got into bed.

"I am; i think my body is really starting to get used to the pregnancy and my arm has been sore too"

"Did you take your pain relief?"

"No, i dont want it to harm the baby"

"Okay...i'll go to the pharmacy and see what you can have" he said, pulling his clothes back on.

"No...i'll be fine" she insisted.

"I'm going; i dont want you been in pain"

"I'm sorry"

"Dont be; i'll be as quick as i can. Try and rest; i'll let Phil know on my way out"

"Thank you" she whispered.

He was back less than an hour later with something she could take; he gave them to her with the glass of water. She took them as he got changed and lay back next to her; putting the glass on the side, she snuggled against him.

"The pharmacist said normal paracetamol will be fine to have so long as you only have one dose and only if you really need to"

"Okay; i'm sorry you had to go out again"

"Dont be; i dont want you to be in pain. Try and get some sleep baby; your body needs it"

"Talk to me"

"About what?" He asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"Anything" she whispered.

"Okay...half term is coming up; i thought we could do something. We could go out for the day or away for a couple of days; you should have your cast off by then hopefully. Or we could decorate the nursery once we've found out the sex; the five months will fly by in no time..."

Looking down, he found Rachel sleeping somewhat peacefully; switching the lamp off, he kissed her forehead and held her close.


	25. Final chapter

Disclaimer: i dont own waterloo road or any of its characters. I think im going to end this fic soon. I have others which are more popular and i think itll be a fitting time to end it in this chapter.

The five months following Phil's return had gone by extremely quickly; Rachel had been advised to go on maternity leave when the school broke up for the Christmas holidays and although she wasnt too sure, she didnt want to risk her daughter. She had used the time, with Phil's help to decorate the nursery and get everything they needed; on the 1st of February, Rachel had gone into labour after a restless night. Phil had rushed her to the hospital to meet Eddie where he stayed by her side, holding her hand as she pushed their baby girl into the world. Sophie May Lawson was born at 2:15pm that afternoon at a healthy weight; wrapped in a pink blanket, she was currently in her moms arms and they watched her wave her arms about.

"Welcome to the world Sophie May Lawson; we never thought it would happen so soon but you...are our little miracle" Rachel whispered, kissing her head.

"She's just like you; Phil's gone to bring Michael up. You were amazing Rache...i love you"

"I love you too; we did it Eddie. You did it...you finally got the girl"

"In more than one way; you got your little girl too"

He rested his cheek on her head as they looked at their beautiful baby daughter; they both had everything they could ever want.

THE END. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.


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